RAIN, RAIN, RAIN

Can you believe all the rain recently?  Just unbelievable.  We had started to get a little dry and then the deluge.  We had gotten a couple of real nice rains when suddenly it was rain about every day.  At this writing we have received 11.35 inches in the last six days.  The only bad thing for me is that I will have to mow the yard again, and again.

The Beefalo are certainly enjoying the benefits of the rain.  Pastures are unusually good for August and hopefully will carry through Fall to Winter.

Next week we will be going to the Missouri State Fair.  The Beefalo National Show has relocated to Sedalia.  Judging of Beefalo will be Saturday August 17th.  We are taking three animals;  two bulls and one heifer.  It is my understanding there will be thirty two Beefalo at the Show.  We hope to see many of you at the Fair and the Show.  It should be a pleasant time.  Until the next time take care.

Summertime

Summer weather has now arrived, hasn't it?  We still have plenty of pasture for the Beefalo, but the heat and lack of moisture is beginning to have an effect.  Personally, I notice the high humidity; it really saps the energy.

 

Our calf crop is not as "bunched" as much as it has been, or as much as I prefer, although it does mean I could have calves to sell the year around.  We are still having calves being born almost weekly and they and their mommies seem to be doing well.

 

It seems that more people are becoming aware of Beefalo.  Recently we were contacted twice about purchasing some of our yearling heifers as well as some steers. In addition, as many of you know Dr. Shealy who purchased ten cows with calves by side from our farm nearly two years ago donated his entire herd and farm to Missouri State University.  Earlier this month I visited briefly with Dr. Anson Elliott, the head of the Universities Agriculture Dept., who is excited about the Beefalo and their possibilities.  He feels they are perfectly suited for the forages common to southern Missouri.  The University already has Hereford cattle, so there is the potential of a "cross breeding" program to demonstrate the value of increasing hybrid vigor, not just between breeds, but species as well.  I believe this will be obvious as more people become aware of, and involved in Beefalo.

 

Switching gears. we are going to take three animals to the State Fair in August.  The National Show for Bedfalo has been moved from the Ozark Empire Fair to the State Fair this year.  The date for the Beefalo judging is August16th.  If you are at the fair August 15-18th please stop by.  Until the next time take care.

Farm Fest 2011

The 2011 Ozark Fall Farm Fest has been put to rest. The weather was beautiful from start to finish; cool, crisp mornings and pleasant sunshine all day. I thought the crowd was down a little from last year, but still a sizable number. We saw some old friends and hopefully made some new ones. 

There are still a lot of questions about beefalo; How do you get a beefalo? What is their meat like? Are they all this gentle? We still have a lot educating to do and if asked will try to answer everyone's questions.

The Fair is Over!

From L-R: Yoko, Cleveland Williamson, Yellow Jacket, Gena Ussery, X-Man, Eugene Ussery

We always enjoy taking animals to the fair, but like the other exhibitors we are glad when we get home. As we mentioned on Facebook earlier (Red, White & Blue! Ussery Beefalo brought home one 3rd place, one 2nd place and TWO 1st places from the National Beefalo Show.We had a great time at the Ozark Empire Fair! -Pictures and commentary to come...) each of our four animals recieved a ribbon and we are happy about that!
Our bull, X-Man, never made it home as we transferred him to his new owner, Mark Cox. Mark has been a cattle judge and exhibitor in the past so we might see X-Man, or some of his off-spring at the fair in the future.
It will soon be weaning time time for our February calves and we will be selecting our entries for the 2011 Fall Farm Fest at he Ozark Empire Fairgrounds from that group. The days for the Farm Fest this year will be October 7th-9th, 2011. Remember: No admission or parking fees! We hope you can come!

Ozark Empire Fair July 27th to August 7th, 2011

Fair time will soon be here and we are planning on taking four animals this year.  August 4 is the day that Beefalo will arrive at the Fair and the National Beefalo Show will be August 6, at 10 A.M. at the Noel Boyd center.  If you are interested in Beefalo and want to learn more about them, please attend and visit with their exhibitors.  See you then!

Lost Oppertunity?

About two weeks ago we received an email from a farmer named Sam ______ (?) who lives out West.  He was interested in some heifers and was enquiring about prices.  We were prepared to reply when our computer went down.  Now we have been informed that all of our emails have been lost.  If Sam _____ (?) reads this blog post please email us again and we will contact you as soon as possible.  Thank you.

For Better Beef, Breed Beefalo

A Washington University Study, (using men, not guinea pigs!) compared Beefalo Beef burgers to regular beef burgers. At the end of a six week consumption test, the average results showed the men's LDL Cholesterol levels, while consuming Beefalo beef, was 15 points lower than when consuming regular beef burgers. No other red meat test has ever lowered the LDL cholesterol level! The same men perferred Beefalo beef burgers over regular beef burgers in taste, tenderness, juiciness and appearance.

Every product we consume has a different genetic makeup- Beef, Chicken, Fish, ect. The Beefalo beef discussed here also has a different genetic makeup, but in appearance and taste, it is the same as a good quality steak you purchase at any local grocery store.

When Beefalo beef was tested by the USDA, it was so nutritionally different, they gave it a separate beef listing. Previously, all beef breeds were in one beef category. The new beef category is Beefalo beef, from Beefalo cattle.

Different gentetics; the development of the Beefalo breed goes back over 150 years, to a point in history where the American Buffalo was in great numbers in the United States. The American Buffalo gives the Beefalo breed its genetic difference with a delicious beef flavor.

The Beefalo breed is a hybrid mix consisting of the following:

• 27% (+/-) 10% - American Buffalo (Bison Species)

• 73% (+/-) 10% - Beef Cow, (Bovine Species)

The New American Breed is now being sought after world wide due to its superior nutritional qualities.

Warning! Beefalo beef is very easy to overcook! It must be cooked at a very little lower temperature and removed from the heat source a little before you think it's done the way you like it. If not, it will be overcooked and dry because it continues to cook after being removed from the heat due to it's low fat content.

Reasons to Raise Beefalo

Excellent Foraging Ability- Beefalo have the ability to better untilize roughage which results in lower maintenance.
Strong Hybrid Vigor- Bison X Bovine - These benefits are derived from years of natural selesction on the bison side and accumulative years of selective breeding on the domestic side.
Calving Ease- Unassisted calving is an inherited trait from the bison.
Hardiness- Beefalo are adaptable to climatic changes. Due to their ability to perspire, they do well in hot climates; and because they have a dense hair coat for insulation, they thrive equally well in cold climates.
Fertility- Proper balance of bison and bovine genetics creates a fertile animal for both natural service and artificial insemination.
Less Waste When Processing- Beefalo inherit an extremely thin external fat covering which leads to less fat tossed into the barrel by processors.
High Quality Meat- Beefalo produce a meat that is high in protien, yet low in fat, cholesterol and calories. Beefalo meat is as tender as regular beef without marbled fat.

Nutritional Comparisons: Beefalo Vs. Beef

How Bison Genetics Improve Beef Meat

1. Decrease total fat content
2. Decrease saturated fat content
3. Decrease cholesterol content
4. Decrease calorie content
5. Decrease percentage of calories derived from fat
6. Increase nutrient density
7. Increase ratio of polysaturated fats to saturated fats
8. Improve flavor, tenderness, juiciness
9. Less fat to trim, less shinkage

Notes from Farmfest 2010

The 2010 Fall Farmfest began for most exhibitors Thursday afternoon, Sept 30th. The gates opened the next morning, and each morning at 9 A.M. for the general public and closed at 5 P.M. each day. It all came to a close Sunday Oct 3rd.

Attendance seemed to be up this year and many visitors passed through the Beefalo area. We met many people who were aware of Beefalo, but also many who were unaware of Beefalo, or their unique characteristics. They were genuinely interested and grateful to learn more about an animal they hadn't known existed. The idea of a healthier red meat  interested many who were concerned about heart disease and cholesterol. Those who already owned cattle asked probing questions about disposition, health, gaining ability and type of diet needed for Beefalo.

Other Beefalo exhibitors this year were the Circle Z farm from Bourbon, Mo. and the Fowler Beefalo Farm from Lamont, Mo. We have always enjoyed the helpfulness and camaraderie among Beefalo exhibitors and this year was no exception. One of our number, "Done Rovin" farm of Lincoln, Ar. was unable to bring any animals because of other commitments, but arrived on the last day. We were glad to see Larry and Nelda of course, but Larry made us even happier when he bought one of our heifers  Also buying a steer we took to Farmfest was John Waddell who is establishing Waddell's Purebred Beefalo. John's goal is to market packaged meat under that brand.  In addition to the two animals we sold we exhibited a weaned bull and a weaned heifer. We also took some orders for our packaged meat.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Farmfest this year. We met a lot of new people as well as old friends, talked a lot about Beefalo and had an all around good time.

Fall Farmfest: This Weekend!

We will be at the Ozark Fall Farmfest this weekend, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 3rd to 5th in Barn 1 at the Ozark Empire Fair Grounds in Springfield, Missouri. Admission and parking are free to all 750 exhibits. 
We are bringing one steer, X-Con, two heifers, Xanthippe and Xenia, and one bull, X-Factor with us to Farm Fest. (Look to the right side of this screen for more info or contact Eugene Ussery at c: 417-569-3838, h: 417-746-4217, e: eussery@getgoin.net). All of these animals are for sale and we have several more just like them that are also for sale. 
We are looking forward to visiting with with everyone at this 31 year old tradition that is Farmfest!
Follow this link to see pictures and story related to last year's Farmfest with Ussery Beefalo.

The 2010 Ozark Empire Fair in the Books!

Tiajauna, Willie,  Xanthippe, and Xylina

The 2010 Ozark Empire Fair is now history. For Beefalo breeders it was another enjoyable occasion. Our number of animals was 51. We had originally thought it would be 68, but apparently some entries had been counted twice. Nonetheless it was a successful show as we had entries from five states: Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Ohio.
In our showing, we were assisted by our son, Michael Ussery and his 2 year old daughter, Jacqueline. Our heifers didn't know them, but they handled fairly well. Tiajauna pace second in the mature cow without calf division. Willie placed placed 5th in the senior yearling division. Xanthippe placed 4th in the senior heifer calf division. Xylina placed 3rd in the junior heifer calf division.

Willie, Michael, Jacqueline, and Eugene

Eugene with Xanthippe

Although general attendance seemed to be down this year we met several new visitors as well as some old and close friends. We had pleasant and interesting visits with folks from from Houston, MO, Grove Springs, MO, Springfield, MO, and Northern Arkansas as well as renewing friendships with the Talyors of Ozark, MO, the Stillians of Sarcoxie, MO, and the Kellys of Marshfield, MO.
In addition, we ran into John Waddell who operates the Botanical Tree Trail and Nursery. John has purchased both meat and animals from us and is currently marketing beefalo meat. You can visit John on the web at www.bttnursery.com.
Now we are back and already planning for the Fall FarmFest in October. We will keep you posted on those developments. Here is a link to the latest information on this year's FarmFest: 2010 Ozark Fall FarmFest
Log on to our Facebook page here to see more pictures of Ussery Beefalo at the Ozark Empire Fair.

American Beefalo Association General Membership Meeting

The American Beefalo Association General Membership meeting will be held this Saturday night, August 7th, 5:30 pm at the Lamplighter Motor Inn on North Glenstone in Springfield, MO. They will be electing new board members at this time. Unfortunately, no one from  Ussery Beefalo will be in attendance.
Don't forget the National Springfield Beefalo Show Saturday morning at 10 am in the Noel Boyd Arena at the Ozark Empire Fair. It will be a great showing. We look forward to seeing you there!
Click here for more even information.

Tiajauna Goes to the Fair... AGAIN!

One of the animals we were planning on taking to the fair, Uzi, decided to be uncooperative so we will be taking Tiajauna to the fair instead.
This will be Tiajauna's fourth year at the fair. She turned three last April and is due to become a mother for the second time right around the time of the fair.
We are getting Willie, Xanthippe, and Xylina ready for the Beefalo Show as well and are looking forward to seeing all the other beefalo and visiting with all of our beefalo friends and supporters.
There should be about 40 to 50 beefalo present this year at the Ozark Empire Fair.

Annual Meeting Update

The American Beefalo Association Annual Meeting was held Saturday, January the 16th at Ryans Family Steak House in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas Beefalo Associations joined together to form a new organization to be called Mid-America Beefalo Association. The organization remains under the umbrella of the Amarican Beefalo Association. The president of the new organization is John Fowler of Lament, Missouri. The Vice President is Larry Hacker of Lincoln, Arkansas. The Secretary is Marty Greer. The directors are David McCoy and Vernon Zelch.

Mid- America Beefalo Association will continue involvement in the National Beefalo Show and Fall Farm Fest at the Ozark Empire Fair Grounds in Springfield, Missouri.

The meeting concluded with an auction by Vernon Zelch and Lee Horstman.

I believe the new organization will be an asset to promoting Beefalo in this region.